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Italians and expensive gasoline: how car use habits are changing

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Italians and expensive gasoline: how car use habits are changing

The warm season increases the desire for the sea and holidays but in this historical period, full of difficulties, life is increasingly expensive and mobility also has a greater impact on the expenses of Italians.
In August, twenty-two million Italians will go on vacation and that is why the theme of expensive gasoline is increasingly central to motorists. The government has intervened several times to limit the effects of the increase in fuel, such as the latest cut on excise duties. While waiting to understand the next measures, the Study Center of AutoScout24, the largest pan-European online automotive marketplace, wanted to investigate the opinions of motorists and the impact of rising prices on car use habits.
When using the car
The first aspect that emerges, above all, is the confirmation of the central role of the car, a vehicle used by as many as 93% of Italians for their daily trips, especially for family needs (65%) and for the journey home. -work. As it was logical to expect, most consumers (86%) say they are very or quite worried about the increase in fuel prices, especially for the impact it has on the family budget and, more than half, believe the latter. insufficient government measure. An important figure since most Italians use cars more than 5 days a week (73%), many travel more than 10 thousand kilometers a year (69%), almost six out of ten spend on average between 100 and 300 euros per month of fuel and 15% exceeds 300 euros.
Yet, for the moment this situation has had an impact on the daily habits of using the car only on a part of the sample (37%), but in the future it could significantly increase (63%) if only the necessary measures are not taken and the cost should increase further.
How have the habits of motorists changed?
Considering the sample who declared that he had changed his way of using the car, which we remember being a minority share, 38% tried to reduce the use of petrol and diesel cars for leisure but, the real change concerns the adoption of virtuous behaviors such as a different approach to driving and greater attention to savings.
About a third, in fact, carefully chooses the distributor on the basis of the cheapest price (community smartphone apps have been created that monitor price trends to choose the most advantageous each time) and 27% tend to refuel exclusively at self-service premises. service. And, again, 29% drive in a “soft” way to reduce consumption and a fifth carefully monitor monthly expenses. And there are also those who have started using dedicated apps or the web to identify the cheapest stations (16%).
Goodbye to the car?
16% of the sample changed their mind and decided not to buy a car anymore due to expensive fuel; among those who confirmed their intention to buy a new or used car, 74% of the increase in prices did not affect the choice of power supply (petrol and diesel favored), while for the remaining sample, almost two out of ten they are moving from combustion engine and powerful cars (petrol / diesel) to cars, which consume less, and 9% from traditional to electrified cars (hybrid / electric).
In all this, the “pure” electric cars represent a minimal share, with Italians declaring that they do not want to buy this power supply (new or used) mainly due to the low battery autonomy (39% of those who intend to buy a car) and for the high cost (24%). What can change their minds, if not everyone, but at least some consumers? Above all the economic aspect, such as more substantial incentives or strong discounts from dealerships or car manufacturers, which would (perhaps) make us forget all the limits of electric cars that not only concern the autonomy of the batteries, but also the lack of the Italian infrastructure. charging stations in some geographical areas.
CWhat impact did expensive fuel have on travel?
Another chapter analyzed by the research conducted by AutoScout24 is that of travel. The expensive fuel certainly had an impact on this, given that 22% of respondents intended to go on vacation in August or September but then changed their minds precisely because of the increase in the cost of gasoline. Yet, in the choice of the vehicle for their leisure travels they have no doubts: the car is by far the preferred vehicle (indicated by 88%), in particular for the possibility of leaving when you want (83%), followed by freedom and flexibility that the vehicle allows (33%). It is certainly an act of love for the car, which has almost 150 years of history, but even in this case the effects of a further increase in prices should not be underestimated. Excluding the “loyal” (30%), who would never give up the comfort of the car, more than half of the sample will use the car in case of increases only if they have no valid alternatives and 18% will carefully evaluate alternative means by choosing the most economic.

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